Chapter 36: the calm after the storm

I stand in the mirror,

feeling the rage stir within me,

but instead of letting it consume,

I breathe.

I feel it rise,

then let it go,

turning it into something else—

something better,

something stronger.

I used to let the anger define me,

used to wear it like armor,

thinking it would protect me.

But now,

I see it as energy—

something I can redirect,

something I can transform

into the power of my own hands,

my own heart.

So I push through the burn,

through the hurt,

through the frustration.

And when I finish,

I'm not the same man I was when I started.

The pain is still there,

but it's softer,

more manageable.

And I stand taller for it.